Virginia “Pepper” Potts is a fictional supporting character and romantic love interest appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular those featuring Iron Man. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Don Heck, she first appeared in Tales of Suspense #45 (September 1963).

In 2007, she joined the Fifty State Initiative under the codename Hera, and after being given her own suit of armour by Tony Stark, assumed the identity of Rescue in The Invincible Iron Man #10 (though she first identified herself as such in issue #14). In the 2012 storyline “The Future”, Pepper returns to her civilian life following her destruction of J.A.R.V.I.S., the artificial intelligence that helped her control her Rescue armour, after its compromise led it to go rogue and attempt to kidnap her.

The story of Pepper Potts

Pepper, originally in the secretarial pool, gets her job by fixing an accounting mistake made by Stark himself.

Pepper is originally infatuated with Stark and responds to the attentions of Stark’s chauffeur and assistant Happy Hogan with caustic remarks.

This, almost immediately after her first appearance, coupled with Stark’s growing affection for her, puts her in a love triangle between Stark and Hogan. Pepper is for a time interested in Iron Man, unaware that he and Stark are the same person. However, she eventually falls in love with and marries Hogan, eloping with him in Tales of Suspense #91.

In the first film, Stark notes that she is virtually the only real friend he has at the company. In the second film, she is promoted to CEO of Stark Industries. She later attempts to resign after Tony finds a cure for the palladium poisoning that was killing him, but he does not accept it.

In The Avengers, Potts has become Tony’s lover and partner in helping with the development of Stark Tower and the Arc Reactor.

In Iron Man 3, Potts is still the CEO of Stark Industries. During an attack on Stark’s mansion, she dons the Mark 42 suit to save herself, Stark and Maya Hansen, in a manner similar to how she became Rescue in the comics. She is captured by former AIM employee Aldrich Killian, who uses her as a test subject for the Extremis process and thus as leverage to force Tony to complete the work to make Extremis stable, but she turns the tables on Killian by using her Extremis powers to defeat him. Tony is later able to modify Extremis so that it is no longer a danger to herself or others.